Fate of formerly majestic home mirrors that of its former owner

Via social media recently, I learned of the planned burning of a mansion in Catawba County, N.C. It wasn’t just any mansion. This particular story peaked my interest because this particular mansion was once owned by fallen NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield (read about it, here).

In the time since hearing about this story, the burn has been cancelled because of a threat of rain. But the current owner does still plan to either burn the home or tear it down at some point.

According to the report from Charlotte-area WSOC-TV, the home has been in a steady decline, much like Mayfield’s life. After reading a couple of reports about the house and its impending fate, I couldn’t help but make parallels between this house and its former owner.

At one time, Jeremy Mayfield appeared to be riding high — I’m talking career-wise, here, not trying to make any kind of reference to his meth issue. He was a winning driver at NASCAR’s top level and even squeaked his way into the Chase post season once.

This mansion Mayfield bought in 2006, according to the WSOC story, was built in the 1990s, and in its day (I hate to talk about something from the 1990s like it’s old, as that makes me feel old, but I digress) was one of the nicest and biggest houses in the county.

When Mayfield purchased the home, he had plans to renovate. But as his career declined, so did his home purchase.

Mayfield’s downward spiral was set into motion with a failed NASCAR drug test that detected meth use, and things just got worse for him from there. He proclaimed his innocence and fought NASCAR tooth-and-nail, determined to prove the sanctioning body wrong. In the process, he exhausted his fortune and other legal problems followed that included arrests for drug possession, theft and a lawsuit the stemmed from his dog biting the mailman, among other things. When it rains, it pours.

When Mayfield’s troubles began, renovation on the 12,000-square-foot home ended. Like its former owner, the mansion was stripped of its glory. It was once valued at nearly $1.8 million, but now, it’s worth is only about $300,000. Sure, $300,000 is still a lot of money, but it’s not a whole lot when compared to a figure just south of $2 million.

The home has been stripped, leaving exposed drywall behind, and weather and time have taken their toll. Heck, the house was even declared too unsafe for firefighters to practice in, according to a report of the cancellation of origial burn plans. Like NASCAR no longer wants anything to do with Mayfield, the new owner of this mansion no longer wants it. As a result, it’ll be burned to the ground or torn down.

Gone is Mayfield from the NASCAR landscape, and it sounds like this home will soon be gone from the landscape in Catawba County.